The invention relates to connectors and other devices where it is desirable to have a ring, collar, seal or other member retained in association with a body member or nut.
While the invention has particular application to connectors used in the electrical and plumbing industries it will be understood that a much broader range of applications are contemplated for the invention. The connectors used in the electrical and plumbing industries are typically used to seal and mechanically connect electrical conduit, pipes or cable to junction boxes. These connectors typically incorporate rubber or plastic seals compressed by a nut that is part of the connector. It is advantageous, for the person completing the assembly of the device at a work site, to have a minimum number of discrete parts to handle. This will minimize assembly time and will minimize the risk of misplacement of the seal.
The prior art includes the structures shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,377 which issued to one of the present applicants. That patent describes a sealing ring having discrete tabs on a split or discontinuous ring. The tabs engage a mating helical thread when installed and thus the split ring will be skewed. For some applications this is undesirable. This patent does also suggest the use of tabs in parallel planes. Separately, this patent also suggests a continuous ring instead of discrete tabs. While the invention described therein is useful for many applications the present invention is more suited for other applications.
A subsequently issued United States patent relating generally to the same type of structure is U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,491.
Captive sealing ring designs have generally involved an assembly that often requires a press fit. Typically, the force to assemble a sealing ring into a threaded nut requires a force equal to the axial retaining force holding the seal in place. The assembly of such seals with a threaded nut in an assembly plant has typically been done by hand. The person who is performing the assembly operation in an assembly plant is thus exposed to wrist and other injuries because of the repetitive nature of the work. Mechanized assembly of seal and nut assemblies is not satisfactory because of the necessity for costly machinery.
It is an object of the invention to provide an assembly that includes a captive nut assembly that can be assembled with substantially less physical effort than known apparatus.
It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus which is inexpensive to manufacture as well as requires a minimum of labor to install.